Sunday, December 14, 2014

Christmas Sweets 2014

Every festive meal should end on a sweet note, and Christmas never ever seems to be an exception. To us, the cake is pretty much as important as the turkey, and really, a bad cake could literally mean Christmas without being merry. Here's a few cakes we tried this festive season, alongside recommendations.

Bloomsbury Bakers

Soft sponge, lightly whipped cream and a choice whether or not you want your dose of alcohol - that is what Bloomsbury Bakers has to offer this Christmas. Offering two flavours (Baileys Log and Speculoos Apple Crumble Log), the cakes are shaped in a stump instead of your mainstream logs which comes horizontal.

The design is minimal, with a little extra touch from little fondant mushrooms and cookie crumbles surrounding which act like soil. The texture of the cakes were soft, light and honestly, very easy to down, even after a heavy meal. If festive means alcohol, jump right for the Baileys Log, and leave the Speculoos Apple Crumble one for the kids.

Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre
If you are not at all a cream person, the fruit cake from Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre should definitely be on your list of cakes to eat this Christmas. Packed with lots of quality fruits and nuts, the whole cake is one that we label as calorie worthy.

The recipe of the fruit cake comes from Australia's Celebrity Chef, Tony Bilson, who also collaborated with Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre to create their Christmas menu at Window on the Park. It comes in two version - with or without cognac. Kick or no kick, you decide.

InterContinental Singapore

A perfect illustration of a log with a local twist is the Heritage Peranakan Log from InterContinental Singapore. Featuring a lime-coconut supreme with pineapple-ginger compote layered between pandan sponge and pandan kueh lapis, there is no reason to not fall in love with this delicious and light cake. The fragrant pandan flavour came through with each mouthful, and the sponge was pillow-soft - making it probably one of the best in town this year.

If you like your log cakes rich, the Classic Chocolate Cherry Winter Log makes you feel as if you are indulging in a block of chocolate, literally. The decadent dark chocolate clearly is a perfect paring with the rum soaked cherries - a sinfully good cake, no less.

Marina Mandarin Singapore

Christmas is never complete without a panettone, and the ones at Marina Mandarin's Santa House is one we think should be part of everyone's Christmas. Their Panettone Veneziana promises a soft light fluffy interior packed with a generous amount of quality dried fruits, and a nice golden crumbly crust to top it off without making you feel like you've just had sugar overdose.

Their log cakes this year include the Chocolate & Kumquat Compote Log, Durian Yule Log, Ricotta & Mascarpone Yule Log and a Mango and Passion Log. Apart from these, the Santa House also features a (not so edible) chocolate entrance and has tons of festive homemade goodies to offer.

Medzs

From the creators of the "best rainbow cake in town", the offering at Medzs this Christmas is no different, except with a lot more. Expect their signature rainbow cake in a form of a log (well, not really), topped with fresh berries and decadent dark chocolate.

As usual, the cake is moist and dense - exactly how we think it should be. Not forgetting the gold dust on the berries that definitely adds on to the Christmas-y feel, we think this cake is one that will be a stunner on the dinner table.